Does Having The Breast Cancer Gene Lead to Alzheimer's?

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Jill Chadwick

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The leading Alzheimer’s researcher at The University of Kansas Hospital says human studies don’t support new research linking the breast cancer gene to Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Jeff Burns says it’s a big leap to draw the conclusion that having the BRCA1 gene will lead to Alzheimer’s, and that much more study is needed.

Researchers in California published the study November 30 in the scientific journal Nature Communications showing an intriguing link between BRCA1, a protein that when mutated can increase the risk of breast cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Since 1994, scientists have known that mutations in the BRCA gene can contribute to a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. But for the first time, researchers say that the gene may also play a part in the nerve death that’s responsible for Alzheimer’s disease.

But in this video, Dr. Burns tells what he thinks of the research, what the indicators are for Alzheimer’s, and what steps, such as increased exercise, people can take to help manage the onset of the disease.